The 39 Steps: A Review of a PBS Masterpiece Classic Presentation

John Buchan wrote The 39 Steps in 1915, creating the genre of the espionage thriller, particularly that subset involving the upper-class gentleman spy. In the book, Richard Hannay, had recently returned to London after years of living in Africa, serving in the Boer War and then working as a mining engineer. It is late spring of 1914; he is bored blind by his present life, and ready for some action. He gets his wish when his neighbor, Scudder, entrusts a mysterious notebook and story of spies about to destroy the British Navy to Hannay and gets killed by German spies in his flat. Naturally, Hannay is assumed guilty of the murder, and, with both spies and police searching for him, he goes to Scotland to unravel the story and thus be found innocent. Like all stories of intricate and slightly implausible plot, the tale unfolds at breakneck speed. Buchan’s book is filled with chance encounters, plot twists, double crosses, chases across the Scottish moors, once with an airplane tracing his movements, and ends with Hannay back in England, uncovering the traitor and foiling the German plot. The book was a huge success.

In 1935, Alfred Hitchcock undertook the challenge of making The 39 Steps into a movie. It was a challenge because of the intricate details and large cast in the book, so Hitchcock developed a very different version: he kept Hannay’s name, the murder of the agent in Hannay’s apartment, and the trip to Scotland to discover whatever he could. But Hitchcock updated the time of the action to the mid-30s, made Hannay Canadian and the spies vaguer in nationality, incorporated a music hall performer named Mr. Memory, and changed the 39 steps from a physical location to a conjuring trick. He also brought in a woman to provide the requisite cinema love interest; they meet cute and dash across the moors of Scotland, handcuffed together for some of the time. Robert Donat played the hapless Canadian Hannay; he was the best part of the movie.

The 39 Steps, as broadcast by PBS Sunday night, is much truer to the original. Rupert Penry-Jones, who has the jaded upper class part down cold, plays Hannay, once again the bored Brit. He is aloof when Scudder barrels into his apartment, disbelieving of the story, until the milkman breaks in and Scudder is murdered. Penry-Jones, who previously appeared as Captain Wentworth in Masterpiece’s broadcast of Persuasion, plays a somewhat understated hero. He is quick off the mark, and, in the manner of such heroes, good looking in face and form. Lizzie Mickery, who adapted the novel for this screenplay, also added female interest: Victoria Sinclair, played with spirit by Lydia Leonard, is a suffragist and also a British agent. Again, there are a number of runs across the moors displaying some really splendid scenery. And once again, Hannay is chased by an airplane; although in a clear homage to Hitchcock, the folks in the plane don’t simply spot him, they shoot at him a la North by Northwest – another great Hitchcock spy caper.

Captain Maynard, my trustee co-viewer, was delighted to note that the cars and guns were all authentic to the 1914 date. He loves the wonderful Masterpiece productions for this reason. And in my fashion, I liked the accuracy of the costumes, both men and women. The story starts very quickly and tautly, and unwinds without a moment wasted; we were both drawn into it immediately.

We enjoyed the Hitchcock version of the movie, although I thought the addition of the music hall unnecessary, even while recognizing that this was a favorite Hitchcock device. (See also, The Man Who Knew Too Much.) And I could see no purpose to have Donat be Canadian; things were already difficult enough. Hitchcock also likes his hero to be pretty clueless, bumbling from one near-disaster to the next, until he finally adds up the pieces and solves the riddle. Over all, I like my hero to have a little more on the ball, and in this 2008 update, Penry-Jones is quick-witted and in charge; he solves the cipher, recognizes his foes, and works through the puzzle ahead of the Secret Service. He is a nice combination of James Bond and Lord Peter Wimsey: not so over the top or predatory as Bond, a little more physical than Wimsey. The love story is believable, not the comic relief of the Hitchcock version. Victoria is also sharp, has a photographic memory, runs without falling down in a swoon, and altogether plays an effective sidekick. One thing did strike a false note: Victoria calls herself a suffragette rather than suffragist, the less derisive term used always by those indomitable women. The story plays out against the beginning of World War I, building both tension and reality for the spy plot. The last scene shows Hannay, now an officer in the British Army, at St. Pancras station setting off for France. The tantalizing hope is that he and Victoria will have a future after the war. And at this point, Co-viewer and I have changed our allegiance: truer to the book, while building in a female character, this remake is by far the better 39 Steps.

I have to say that I found this adaptation rather boring. Even though it was only 90 minutes, it felt longer. I much prefer the Robert Powell adaptation which was filmed in either the late 70’s or early 80’s. RPJ is rather bland, although I did like Victoria. She was smart, in many ways smarter than he was! I’ve only seen the Hitchcock film only once, but I have seen the stage adaptation which is absolutely hysterical.

Thank you , Vic for this interesting review. Though I havent’t watched Hitchcock’s version , I loved watching this one . I got a DVD after it was broadcast on BBC at Christmas time. It was fun. RPJ as Richard Hannay was brilliant. The costumes and locations stunning, and I appreciated its accuracy and respect for the original text. My review athttp://flyhigh-by-learnonline.blogspot.com/2009/09/spooks-at-wwi-time.html

When 39 Steps was first broadcast by the BBC, they actually got complaints from viewers about historical inaccuracies. Apparently the cars were not true to the period at all; they used vehicles from 1924 and 1927 because the 1914 models couldn’t go fast enough for a chase scene. And it seems that in June 1914 when the story was set, no one had yet managed to successfully get machine guns onto biplanes without shooting off the propellers! Viewers had a number of other complaints including that 50s era rail cars were used and that a submarine surfaced in the middle of a loch :)

I read a rather interesting article recently in which set designers and prop masters discussed why they took liberties with historical accuracy for the sake of the “story” and moving the plot along in a visual way. Not that this excuses gross inaccuracies, but their justification was that if the sets and prop “seemed” right or were better for their purposes, then they would use the items/backdrop.

Everyone has their pet peeves, I guess. I have to admit that in a production like this (that I don’t care about very much!) the inaccuracies don’t really bug me. And knowing little about 1914 cars, trains, or airplanes, I would not have noticed any liberties at all, had I not read about the complaints beforehand.

But, when it comes to an Austen adaptation, it’s an entirely different matter!

I really, really enjoyed this version of The 39 Steps. I found it to be fast-paced and fun, and was hooked from the start. I think part of the reason (besides the fact that I find RPJ VERY easy on the eyes *g*) is that it was so refreshing to see a WWI-era film on Masterpiece…those seem to be so few and far between. I hope to post a review later this week!

Read your tweets. Oops! You know more about the period than just about anyone, thus the huge liberties taken with historical detail must have truly grated on you. I feel the same way when watching a movie set in the Regency era.

I enjoyed the production very much, but I must have lost my focus at the end because I cannot suss out how Victoria survived being shot and falling into the loch. We see her bullet wound, her fall, then Hannay searching for her and giving up hope. Perhaps it involves a willing suspension of disbelief as with the sub rising?

I enjoyed both versions, but the PBS version really bothered me on one point. I was frustrated when Victoria was shot toward the end by a German agent, when it was soon implied that the shooting was set up by the Secret Service… It just doesn’t add up. The Secret Service could not have foreseen that. I wish they had simply ended the film at the scene previous to her shooting and apparent drowning in the loch, when she and Hannay were standing happily together on the dock. That ending would have been much more understandable and satisfying. (And I definitely agree that the submarine in the middle of a loch was absolutely ridiculous.)

I stumbled on this version of The 39 Steps and thought it was great. Not sure how often men weigh in on this site, but I was taken especially with RPJ’s performance. He was always a gentleman (the chauvinist stuff he had to spout notwithstanding), which in this day and age spoke powerfully to me. Notice a couple of things (not sure which were the director’s and which might have been RPJ’s interpretation): the courtesy with which he declines the waiter’s inquiry as he heads bloodstained into the phone booth; the small nod he gives the children whose noisemaking allows Victoria and him to start the stolen car; the simple “thank you” when Victoria admits, “perhaps you’re not a delusional maniac after all.” He’s not at all stuffy but he has a dignity and grace about him that I feel adds a lot to the chemistry, not just of the romantic subplot but to the larger category we might call Admirable Male Characters. Strong and kind – does it get any better than that?

Oh, one more thing: Dictionary.com defines “loch” as “a lake, or an arm of the sea, as a fjord.” I don’t mind plot-serving logic lapses in general, but for those whose enjoyment of this film was strained by the submarine, it might help to know that lochs aren’t necessarily landlocked.

I enjoyed your reflections, John, on RPF as an excellent AMC and I agree that the subtleties of “strong and kind” were beautifully done. Thanks for the clarification on a loch’s not necessarily being landlocked! Now if only I could understand how Victoria’s death could possibly have been set up in advance. Ah, well, wonderful entertainment nonetheless.

I found the shooting/drowning/reappearance of Victoria totally unconvincing, and, insofar as Hannay was concerned, felt he got a pretty raw deal from the girl, four months of mourning and another four years of separation. With regard to “homage,” if that is the right word for “borrowing” someone else’s work, there is homage to the 2001 film Enigma (Michael Apted), starring, among others, Kate Winslet. In that film the disappearance of Claire creates the action of the second half of the film, there is a German submarine that appears in Northern UK waters, and the missing girl, a love interest/spy?/double agent?, magically reappears after the war in a quick visual.

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Hello, my name is Vic and I live in Richmond, VA. I work in program and professional development at Virginia Commonwealth University, and I have adored Jane Austen almost all of my life. I am a proud lifetime member of the Jane Austen Society of North America. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. I do not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. However, I do accept and keep books, DVDs and CDs to review.

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